Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Wednesday morning held a high-profile meeting with Chief of Defence Staff Bipin Rawat and chiefs of Army, Navy and Air Force on the situation along the India-China border, hours after Prime Minister Narendra Modi discussed the issue with his top ministers.
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After the meeting, Singh tweeted, "The loss of soldiers in Galwan is deeply disturbing and painful. Our soldiers displayed exemplary courage and valour in the line of duty and sacrificed their lives in the highest traditions of the Indian Army."
"The Nation will never forget their bravery and sacrifice. My heart goes out to the families of the fallen soldiers. The nation stands shoulder to shoulder with them in this difficult hour. We are proud of the bravery and courage of India’s bravehearts," he added.
De-escalating the tension along the LAC appeared to be the top agenda to ensure that no further trouble is fomented.
Late Tuesday night, Modi held a meeting with Rajnath Singh, Home Minister Amit Shah, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and Finance Minister Nirmala Sithataman to take stock of the situation after the Army announced that 20 Indian soldiers were killed in the "violent stand-off" in Galwan valley. Army chief MM Naravane was also present.
This was followed by Singh's meeting with the CDS and three service chiefs. Singh also spoke to Jaishankar.
Sources said the condition of four Indian soldiers is very critical. Scores of soldiers were injured in the incident.
Army officials described the situation as "unprecedented". They will be releasing the names of all those killed in the incident soon.
The families of all those deceased have been informed, they said.
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